Monday, September 3, 2012

Church of St. Malachy, The Actors' Chapel

The Roman Catholic parish of St. Malachy is a famous place of worship for the entertainment community in midtown Manhattan. It was established in 1902 with a Gothic structure of brick trimmed with limestone. Since 1920, actors, dancers, musicians, craftsmen, and tourists attend mass at St. Malachy's chapel. St. Malachy's has been home to many notable actors: Douglas Fairbanks married Joan Crawford at St. Malachy's. Herb Shriner's children were baptized here. Thousands jammed West 49th Street outside the church during Rudolph Valentino's funeral. George M. Cohan, Spencer Tracy, Perry Como, Irene Dunne, Hildegarde, Florence Henderson, Elaine Stritch, Lawrence Luckinbill, Rosiland Russell, Danny Thomas, Bob and Dolores Hope and Ricardo Montalban, all worshipped at St. Malachy's. Fred Allen, Don Ameche, Cyril Ritchard, Pat O'Brien and Jimmy Durante served many a mass. The chapel is located at 239 West 49th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue.